BATON ROUGE – It wasn’t quite “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” when it came to the playing surface of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, but the LSU Athletic Department was looking for a flashier, new look for the court that will be seen extensively on television during the upcoming volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball seasons.
The makeover was completed early Thursday morning when the last coats of finish dried. Fans will get to see it in person Saturday night when the LSU volleyball team conducts its annual Purple-Gold scrimmage in the main arena.
One of the most notable things that will be evident for those at the Maravich Center and especially for those watching on television around the country is the new Tiger head logo at mid court under the returning primary LSU logo. Also, a two-tone stain design highlights the area inside the purple three-point shooting arc.
Both baselines now feature the word “Tigers” in gold, while the sideline opposite the main camera positions and the two benches has the venue name – Pete Maravich Assembly Center – in white.
“The design of this logo and the court was a collaboration of our staff, coaches and our administration,” said LSU Senior Associate Athletic Director, Eddie Nunez. “Our goal from the beginning was to give the court a reenergized look and to showcase the LSU brand with the new Tiger head logo.
“We are very pleased with the way everything has turned out on this project from start to finish,” Nuñez said.
This was the third time this particular playing surface has been refurbished at the Maravich Center, the last time that this particular floor can be completely sanded down. This will extend the lifespan of the floor for another 3 or 4 years.
According to Dreyfus Milstead, Operations Manager for The Maravich Center, the project was broken into two phases because of the event schedule in the building. Following sanding, seal and whitewashing by Sports Floors Inc. of Memphis, the floor was packed up and stored in another location until the building floor was again available some two weeks later.
After that the floor was reassembled on the arena floor where board repairs were made along with the addition of dark stain, the painting of the game lines and the graphics before the final finish was applied to the floor.
After Saturday’s Purple-Gold Scrimmage, Volleyball will open on the arena floor on Friday, Aug. 30. The women’s basketball team’s first game at the Maravich Center will be its season opener on the night of Nov. 8, while the men’s team will play its home opener on Nov. 16 against Northwestern State.
Volleyball offers free admission for all matches while ticket information for the 2013-14 basketball seasons is available at LSUtix.net.